I'm known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has on and communication will have on the public conscious and existing businesses.
I've been following this space for over ten years, working with a number of publishers, publications and media companies, some for long periods of time, others for commissions, one-off pieces or a series of articles or shows.
As Scotland’s first podcaster, I continue to be a prominent voice in the rise of podcasting and new media online, and picked up a British Academy (BAFTA) nomination for my annual coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, alongside contributions to Radio 5 Live, the BBC World Service, presenting Edinburgh local radio's coverage of the General Election.
You'll find me on Twitter (@Ewan), Facebook, and Google Plus.

Android Circuit: Samsung Launches A New Galaxy S5, Amazon Announce The Fire Smartphone, And Microsoft Prepares For An Android Debut

Taking a look back at the week in news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit takes in the new Amazon Fire smartphone, the update to the Samsung Galaxy S5, Microsoft’s upcoming Android handset, thoughts on hardware and software to be announced at Google I/O, BlackBerry’s work with the Amazon App Store. and a review of the Frenzy 8Z tablet. Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the very many things that have happened around Android over the last seven days.

The Fire is not the only new handset announced this week that is raising eyebrows in the Android world. Samsung has announced the Galaxy S5 LTE-A is only available in South Korea (for the moment) and marks a number of first. It’s the first Samsung Android device to use the Snapdragon 805 processor (which makes it the second Android device to use it, after the OnePlus One), an increased pixel count on the 5.1 inch screen (2560 x 1440,compared to the original’s 1920×1080), 3 GB of RAM, and the Adreno 420 replaces the Adreno 330 for graphics.

It’s just four months since the Galaxy S5 was announced, and many of Samsung’s customers are locked into two year contracts. This rapid refresh cycle is great for technology, but perhaps not for the consumer. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly looks at this issue, as well as the new handset:

But there is a flip side to all this specification flag waving: existing Galaxy S5 owners are likely (and rightly) going to feel short changed. Especially those just starting two year contracts. Technology famously moves quickly, but making such major upgrades after just two months borders on ridiculous.

What’s more Samsung isn’t alone. HTC is rumoured to have a ‘One Prime’ up its sleeve and if manufacturers aren’t careful these cutting edge handsets are going to alienate more owners than they win.

Microsoft Set To Release An Android Handset

There’s an interesting countdown that has appeared on the Nokia Conversations website. Now managed by Microsoft, the former Devices and Services department of the Finnish company appears to be continuing the work on an own Android distribution forked from the Android Open Source Project with Microsoft’s cloud services replacing Google’s. The countdown points towards an announcement on June 24th, and the green colour has been used in the marketing of the previous Nokia X Android devices.

‘How long will the Dalvik runtime engine remain part of Android?’ asks The Register. With the Android Runtime (ART) available in Android 4.4 to developers and those wishing to experiment with their handset, the process of testing and evaluation is approaching the end game. A switch away from Dalvik to ART will likely improve the speed of any code being run, and a more efficient runtime will have a positive impact on battery life. It will also bring up a lot of compatibility issues for third-party developers.

It’s likely that we’ll hear more about ART at Google’s conference for developers, Google I/O, which takes place this Wednesday and Thursday (25/26 June). Forbes will be there to bring you news, reaction, and analysis.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.